In the field of photoplethysmography light signals corresponding with two or more different centered wavelengths may be employed to non-invasively determine various blood analyte concentrations. By way of primary example, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels of a patient's arterial blood are monitored in pulse oximeters by measuring the absorption of oxyhemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin using red and infrared light signals. The measured absorption data allows for the calculation of the relative concentrations of reduced hemoglobin and oxyhemoglobin, and therefore Sp02 levels, since reduced hemoglobin absorbs more light than oxyhemoglobin in the red band and oxyhemoglobin absorbs more light than reduced hemoglobin in the infrared band, and since the absorption relationship of the two analytes in the red and infrared bands is known.
To obtain absorption data, pulse oximeters comprise a probe that is releaseably attached to a patient's appendage (e.g., finger, ear lobe or the nasal septum). The probe directs red and infrared light signals through the appendage, or tissue-under-test. The light signals are provided by one or more sources which are typically disposed in the probe. A portion of the light signals is absorbed by the tissue-under-test and the intensity of the light transmitted through the tissue-under-test is detected, usually by at least one detector that may be also located in the probe. The intensity of an output signal from the detector(s) is utilized to compute SpO2 levels, most typically via a processor located in a patient monitor interconnected to the probe.
As will be appreciated, pulse oximeters rely on the time-varying absorption of light by a tissue-under-test as it is supplied with pulsating arterial blood. The tissue-under-test may contain a number of non-pulsatile light absorbers, including capillary and venous blood, as well as muscle, connective tissue and bone. Consequently, detector output signals typically contain a large non-pulsatile, or DC, component, and a relatively small pulsatile, or AC, component. It is the small pulsatile, AC component that provides the time-varying absorption information utilized to compute arterial Sp02 levels.
In this regard, the red and infrared signal portions of pulse oximeter detector output signals each comprise corresponding large DC and relatively small AC components. The red and infrared signal portions have an exponential relationship to their respective incident intensities at the detector(s). As such, the argument of the red and infrared signal portions have a linear relationship and such portions can be filtered and processed to obtain a ratio of processed red and infrared signal components (e.g., comprising their corresponding AC and DC components), from which the concentration of oxyhemoglobin and reduced hemoglobin in the arterial blood may be determined. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,277. By utilizing additional light signals at different corresponding centered wavelengths it is also known that carboxyhemoglobin and methemoglobin concentrations can be determined. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,979.
As noted, the pulsatile, AC component of a pulse oximeter detector output signal is relatively small compared to the non-pulsatile DC component. Consequently, the accuracy of analyte measurements can be severely impacted by small amounts of noise. Of particular concern here is noise that contaminates absorption data as a result of undesired variations in the path length of light signals as they pass through the tissue-under-test. Such variations are most typically caused by patient movement of the appendage to which a pulse oximetry probe is attached.
A number of different approaches have been utilized to reduce the deleterious effects of patient motion in pulse oximeters. For example, pulse oximeter probes have been developed to enhance the physical interface between the probe and tissue-under-test, including the development of various clamp type probe configurations and secure wrap-type probe configurations. Further, numerous approaches have been developed for addressing motion contaminated data through data processing techniques. While such processing techniques have achieved a degree of success, they often entail extensive signal processing requirements, thereby contributing to increased device complexity and componentry costs.